Tag Archives: Grain Free

Apple Pie Microwave Mug Muffin

My family loves my mug muffin recipes, and they have been asking for an apple pie mug muffin! I can’t wait to share it with you also! Mug muffins are so awesome…….they are fast, fresh, and cater to an individuals preference, because you make one at a time! You don’t have a whole batch to consume before they get stale, and if you feel like apple, pumpkin, berry, or whatever you have in the house, you get to choose.

This muffin takes two minutes in the microwave, and you can prep it and refrigerate it the night before if your morning is rushed. Then all you have to do for breakfast is pop it in the microwave for two minutes, and it is ready! Even so, they only take ten minutes to prep and two minutes to cook if you make it right when you want it.

It is a nutritious, grain free, guilt free breakfast or snack! I personally like to make one in the evening, and my children like to make them for breakfast. This Apple Pie Mug Muffin is sweetened with just a tablespoon of honey, has a healthy fat and protein rich egg in it, and the apple of your choice, which is a good source of fiber as well as the coconut flour! I used Fuji apple in the muffin pictured below. If you like an apple with more tartness, try a Granny Smith, but any kind will work! Use your favorite!

Apple Pie Microwave Mug Muffin

Apple Pie Microwave Mug Muffin

Ingredients:

1 Large Egg

1/2 Cup Chopped Apple (this is about half a medium apple, peeled and cored)

2 Tablespoons Apple Sauce

1 Tablespoon Coconut Flour

1 Tablespoon Almond Flour

1 Tablespoon Honey

1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

A Dash of Himalayan Pink or Sea Salt

Directions:

In a bowl, whisk together all the ingredients except the apple. Fold in the apple, reserving a little bit for the top. Spoon the batter into a mug. Sprinkle with the remaining diced apple. Microwave on high for 2 minutes.

Serve! Be careful, it is hot and delicious, and smells soooo good!

Enjoy your day!

Apple Pie Microwave Mug Muffin Ingredients

Eat Your Nutrients!

Delicious Italian Mini Meatloaves and Make Your Own Sunshine

After spending a glorious few days in the sunny San Diego area, we flew home this weekend to Maryland returning to rain and cold due to the effects of a tropical storm. It was a drastic transition from warm sunny beaches and green juice available everywhere you looked!

So, what’s a girl to do? I find great benefit in eating with the seasons, and meatloaf seemed like the perfect comfort food for a cold rainy evening. I wanted one that was gluten and grain free, dairy free and low fodmap, but utterly delicious and flavorful! I really don’t like to settle. 🙂

Here is my recipe for mini meatloaves that will definitely hit the spot and remind you of your childhood.

I incorporated some finely chopped carrots and spinach in the meatloaf to boost the nutritional value and combined a mixture of grass fed beef and turkey.

Delicious Italian Mini Meatloaves

This meatloaf is my way of bringing the sunshine home! Other ways I like to do this is with warm hugs, a cheerful welcoming smile, reading a great book, and green juicing!

What’s your perfect way to bring your own sunshine when life delivers lemons? What do you do?

Italian Mini Meatloaves:

Ingredients:

1 pound ground grass fed beef

1 pound ground pastured turkey 92% lean

3 large organic carrots, peeled

2 cups organic packed baby spinach (5 oz.)

1/2 Cup Superfine Almond Flour

2 Tablespoons Garlic Olive Oil

3/4 Cup Organic Tomato Paste (I used Bionaturae .7 oz jar) divided

1 tsp. Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/2 teaspoon each of dried organic thyme, basil, parsley and oregano

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375º degrees. Lay out a rimmed baking sheet and line it with parchment paper or lightly grease it.

In a food processor, add the peeled carrots, sliced into chunks, and process until finely chopped. Add to a large bowl. Add the spinach to the food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add this to the large bowl also. Add the ground meat and remaining ingredients and 1/4 cup of tomato paste. Mix with your hands until thoroughly incorporated.

Divide the meatloaf mixture into 8 equal sizes, and make a ball of each with your hands. Set the balls onto the lined baking sheet, and pat into the shape of a mini meatloaf.

Now the ketchup topping:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup organic tomato paste

1/4 teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper

1 teaspoon cider vinegar

Mix the topping ingredients together in a small bowl. Divide evenly over the tops of the mini meatloaves and spread.

Bake the mini meatloaves in the oven for approximately 20 to 25 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165º degrees.

These meatloaves are full of flavor and hidden veggies!

Here are some photos of our trip to sunny San Diego!

A Beautiful Sunset!

Del Mar, California. Dinner at L’Auberge.

The beautiful coastline! We walked the beach every morning!

The majestic Pacific Ocean!

Tomato Basil Jam

I love the intense flavor of jams. No matter if they are sweet or savory, the flavors are intensified due to the reduction. This Tomato Basil Jam is no exception. It is thick and full of tomato flavor and only 4 ingredients! The secret is the oven roasting. Slather it on cooked meat, vegetables, or crackers to bump up the flavor of anything!

4 Ingredient Tomato Basil Jam

Tomato Basil Jam

Ingredients:

3 Large Organic Tomatoes

1/3 Cup Garlic Infused Olive Oil

1 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

2 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Basil

Preheat your oven to 375º degrees. Slice the tomatoes about a half inch thick. Toss with 1 Tablespoon of Garlic Olive Oil and sprinkle with salt. Place them in a single layer on two parchment lined baking sheets. Roast in the oven for 50 minutes until the tomatoes are starting to brown and caramelize.

Remove the pans from the oven and cool ten minutes. Place the tomatoes and the remaining 1/4 cup of garlic olive oil into a food processor. Add the fresh basil. Pulse until you get a smooth consistency.

This flavorful savory jam is full of healthy fat, lycopene from the tomatoes and delicious fresh basil. What’s not to love about this healthy spread!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Muffin in Minutes!

Mug muffins are scrumptious, convenient, individual and fast! Just mix and microwave for 1 minute 30 seconds and you have a warm muffin in a mug!

Since Fall is in the air, I have been craving pumpkin. I was in the kitchen this weekend creating a pumpkin flavored mug muffin with a touch of chocolate that really evokes thoughts of cooler weather, sweaters, autumn crafts and warm hugs. My youngest daughters are 12 and 14 now and like to choose and make their own breakfasts. They love mug muffins and can whip them up quickly on a school morning!

Have a yummy day!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Muffin in Minutes

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Mug Muffin in Minutes!

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Sour Cherry and Honey Shortbread Cookies

Warning! It is hard not to eat the whole batch of these! The good news is they are delicious, and it is a small batch.

These cookies are an absolutely delicious shortbread cookie treat recipe with the chewy tart bite of cherries!

They are delicate little bites with simple, whole food ingredients that come together in ten minutes.

The recipe makes a small batch of eleven cookies. Just short of a dozen. I have made the recipe several times to perfect it, and eleven is the perfect number.

I have this Moon Cake Mold Press that I used to imprint the tops of the cookies with a rose, but it isn’t necessary to make these cookies. I use it to make gluten free mooncakes during the Autumn Moon Celebration and have had great success with it for cookies. It just makes them fancier, and I am a gadget junkie.

Sour Cherry and Honey Tea Cookies

The benefits touted in regards to cherries are they are anti-inflammatory, enhance sleep, help with post-workout soreness, reduce stroke risk and more. See this article on cherries if you want to learn more. I love all these benefits, but I especially love the taste of them, and all the benefits are a bonus!

Honey has trace minerals in it and is one of my favorite natural sweeteners. My father was a beekeeper, and I used to help him in the bee hives when I was a child. Honey is truly miraculous. It is still a form of sugar to our bodies, but a little goes a long way! To make sure I know I am getting a high quality, pure honey, I buy it from a local beekeeper or farm market where a beekeeper is selling their honey. Local food co-ops are another great place to find a reputable honey source.

This cookie recipe only has seven ingredients, and each one adds flavor.

Sour Cherry and Honey Tea Cookies

Preheat your oven to 325º degrees F.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

1/4 Cup Coconut Oil

1/4 Cup Sour (Tart) Dried Cherries (I used an organic cherry with no added ingredients, just cherries)

2 Tablespoons of Local Honey

1 Teaspoon of Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

1/2 Teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 Teaspoon of Himalayan Pink or Sea Salt

Directions: Place all the ingredients into a food processor. Pulse until all the ingredients are incorporated and holding together with the cherries in small bits, but not completely pureed into the dough. You should still see bits of nice sized, but not whole, cherries.

Scoop the dough with a tablespoon cookie scoop onto a parchment lined baking sheet, spacing the cookies two inches apart. Press the cookie with a round of the moon cake press or use fork tines to flatten the cookie to an inch thickness.

Bake in the preheated oven for just 9 minutes until the cookies are starting to brown on the edges. Cool completely.

Sour Cherry and Honey Tea Cookies

Enjoy!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Bacon, Tomato and Basil Spaghetti Squash Casserole

This is the perfect casserole for late Summer! Tomato, Basil and Spaghetti Squash are abundant locally, and this casserole is not only scrumptious, it is beautiful! The texture is soft and fluffy similar to a souffle or a delicate quiche, and the crumb topping adds just the right finishing touch.

I love all the vegetables incorporated in this casserole. Spaghetti Squash, unlike other winter squashes, has a very mild flavor and is light in color with Vitamin B-6 and Vitamin C, plus every essential mineral is found in spaghetti squash in trace amounts. Isn’t that cool?

Most people know that Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene. They also have excellent amounts of Vitamin C , Biotin and VItamin K included in their nutritional value. Take advantage of them while they are at their peak and very nutrient rich.

Scallions are an excellent source of Vitamin K. One cup of scallions contains 259% of the RDA of this vitamin. Holy Smokes! They also may help prevent cancer like other alliums such as garlic and onions. See this article by The Huffington Post.

I incorporate herbs whenever I can into what I am eating for all their various health benefits and the flavor they add. Basil adds a sweetness to this dish that I love.

Let’s start cooking!

Bacon, Tomato and Basil Spaghetti Squash Casserole

To pre-cook the spaghetti squash, preheat your oven to 350º degrees F. Cut your spaghetti squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with a large spoon. Fill a large casserole pan with an inch of water and place the squash cut side down after lightly seasoning it with salt and pepper. Bake for one hour until a knife inserted in the squash slides through easily. Flip the squash over cut side up to cool. Then, take a fork and remove the squash into spaghetti-like noodles from the skin. At this point you can refrigerate the squash and make the casserole later, or move on to making the casserole.

To Make the Casserole:

Preheat your oven to 400º degrees F. Line a 10 inch round spring form pan with parchment paper after greasing it with coconut oil and set aside.

Ingredients for filling:

1 Medium Spaghetti Squash (approximately 4 cups cooked)

1 Egg

4 Strips of Bacon, cooked and chopped (omit if making it meatless)

1/2 Cup Superfine Almond Flour

1/4 Cup Good Quality Mayo (I used Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo)

2 Scallions, Sliced

1/4 Cup Fresh Basil (or 1 Tablespoon Dried if you don’t have fresh)

1 1/2 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink or Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

Pulse all the ingredients except the bacon in a food processor until smooth and incorporated. Fold in the bacon.

Pour the filling into the prepared dish.

For the Topping:

Ingredients:

1 Large or 2 Medium, Ripe Tomatoes (sliced in half and then thinly sliced into half moons

2 Sliced Scallions

2 Tablespoons of Fresh Basil (or 1 tsp. dried)

1/2 Cup Superfine Almond Flour

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil

1 Teaspoon of Himalayan Pink or Sea Salt

1/2 Teaspoon of Black Pepper

Directions: Place the sliced tomatoes in a decorative pattern on top of your filling (see the photos).

In a mini-processor or a full sized one will work as well, pulse the topping until it looks like crumbs. Sprinkle on top of the casserole evenly.

Bake in your preheated oven for 50 minutes. The topping will be golden brown and the casserole puffed.

Cool ten minutes. Then, remove the outer ring of the spring form pan and serve in the parchment.

This Bacon, Tomato and Basil Spaghetti Squash Casserole will give you all the comforts in comfort food with no Grain or Dairy. Delish!!!!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Spicy Fire Crackers

I have a new love affair! I have know about it for years, but you could say I have been reawakened to its allure and hotness.

Spicy Fire Crackers

What is it? It is Sriracha! While spending some time this Summer in Michigan, I have been enjoying the artisan movement up here for local, small batch, quality food, and I have found a Detroit made fermented artisan sriracha that is addicting. It is made with sugar in the ingredients, but has no preservatives and is clean. I am on vacation and giving myself a slight bit of leeway with a little bit of local Sriracha. Nom Nom Paleo has a DIY recipe for Sriracha sweetened with honey here that I make when I am home.

I miss the spicy chips and crackers of my junkier, processed food days a decade ago………..gosh a decade doesn’t age you too much does it? Well, definitely not when you are eating nutritious food to fuel your body. So, I decided to get into the kitchen on my vacation and make a spicy sriracha cracker that is grain free, real food and Paleo friendly! They are crunchy and spicy reminding me of a firecracker going off in my mouth, but in a very good way!

With almond flour, honey, flax, thyme, olive oil, good sea salt and of course sriracha, the ingredients are pure and snackable and satisfy my crunchy, spicy snack cravings.

Spicy Fire Crackers

Spicy Fire Crackers

Preheat your oven to 275º degrees.

Set out a parchment lined baking sheet.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

1/4 Cup Local Honey

3 Tablespoons Sriracha (Nom Nom’s Paleo friendly recipe is here!)

1 Tablespoons of Olive Oil, Coconut Oil or Duck Fat (melt the coconut oil or duck fat if using this fat)

1 Tablespoon Ground Flax

1/2 Teaspoon Ground Thyme

1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt

Directions: Put all the ingredients into a bowl, whish with a fork until thoroughly combined. Roll between two pieces of parchment paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Score the crackers into small bite sized squares with a pizza wheel.

Bake for 45 minutes in your oven. Cool completely, then break apart on the scores.

That’s it! A delicious, spicy cracker. Enjoy!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Ultimate Grain Free Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

Ultimate Grain Free Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

I don’t know about you, but I need a treat now and then. When I have something decadent, I wan’t it to be something that I have been craving made in a healthier way than I used to eat it. Lately, I have really missed chocolate chip cookies. I added pecans to this recipe, since I am a nut and cookie fan, but you do’t need to add nuts if you are in the nut free cookie camp. I think our household is 50/50 in our preference to add or not to add nuts.

Ultimate Grain Free Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

Although this is not a low sugar recipe, I have used honey to sweeten them, which makes them chewy. The chocolate chips are Lily’s Dark Chocolate No Sugar Added Chocolate Chips sweetened with Stevia. I buy them at my local coop, or they can be found here.

Ultimate Grain Free Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

Preheat your oven to 325º degrees.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

1/2 Cup Almond Butter

1/2 Cup Honey (Clear if Low FodMap)

1 Flax Egg (To make Egg Mix 1 Tablespoon Ground Flax Seed and 3 Tablespoons of Water in a small bowl and let sit 15 minutes)

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil, Melted

1/4 Teaspoon of Himalayan Pink Salt or Sea Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

1 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips (I used Lily’s No Sugar Added)

1/2 Cup Raw Pecans (optional)

Directions: Mix together in a medium bowl with a fork the almond butter, honey, vanilla extract, melted coconut oil and flax egg until incorporated. Add the almond flour, salt and baking soda and stir again until fully incorporated. Fold in the chocolate chips and pecans. Scoop onto parchment lined baking sheets with a tablespoon cookie scoop.

Bake for 11 – 12 minutes in the preheated oven until golden brown. Cool completely on the cookie sheets.

Makes 24 Cookies

*Low FodMap Serving Size 1 Cookie, Moderate FodMap Serving Size 2 Cookies

See this article on Is Chocolate Low FodMap?

Ultimate Grain Free Chocolate Chip Pecan Cookies

These cookies are absolutely delicious, ultimate and classic!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Summertime Paleo Strawberry Shortcake

Do you love eating with the seasons? One of the things I enjoy about strolling through the local farm market is all the ideas I get from seeing what is being sold that day. It is like candy for the eyes, all the colors from the fresh produce and homemade items the vendors are selling, not to mention the interesting conversations you can have while there. It is a casual, happy, chatty place, and people are talking about one of the subjects I love most….good food! The farmers are so excited to talk about their food and let you taste their early spinach that is just like “butter” or describe to you how they used these gorgeous garlic scapes to make their dinner last night. (see the photo below, and you will see what I mean about a work of art! The garlic scapes look like an impressive sculpture!)

I had gone so long eating frozen strawberries and organic strawberries in the plastic cartons this winter. When I tasted these small, picked ripe from the vine that morning strawberries, and popped the first one in my mouth, I knew I had to make a recipe for Summertime Paleo Strawberry Shortcake.

This recipe contains all the elements that I find appealing. It is full of everything a strawberry shortcake should have, ripe juicy berries, sweetness, softness from the shortcake, cool whipped topping, and eye appeal.

Give it a try! You won’t be disappointed!

Paleo Strawberry Shortcake

At least four hours before serving the shortcake, place a can or two of full fat coconut milk in the refrigerator so the coconut cream rises to the top.

Preheat Oven 350º degrees. Grease a cookie sheet or line it with parchment paper. Set aside.

Ingredients:

For the Strawberries:

3 Cups Red Ripe Strawberries, Cleaned and Sliced

2 Tablespoons of Clear or Raw Honey (clear if eating low fodmap)

2 Teaspoons Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

With a potato masher, mash the strawberries, honey and lemon juice leaving some pieces of berries. Set aside to release the juices.

For the Shortcakes:

1 1/2 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

1/3 Cup of Clear or Raw Honey (clear if eating low fodmap)

2 Pastured Eggs, yolks and whites separated

1/4 Cup of Coconut Oil, melted

Zest from 1/2 an Organic Lemon

1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

1/2 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Whipped Topping:

2 Cans of Refrigerated Full Fat Coconut Milk

Directions:

In a medium stainless steel mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

In a large bowl with a hand held mixer, place the eggs, honey, vanilla, lemon zest, coconut oil, salt and lemon juice. Mix for three minutes until it is a thick, creamy ribbon of yellow.

Add in the Superfine Almond Flour and baking soda. Mix until incorporated with a hand held mixer.

With a rubber spatula, gently fold in the egg whites using a lift and fold motion from the outside of the bowl to the center. See demonstration here.

With a half cup measuring cup, scoop the batter onto the prepared cookie sheets, evenly distributing into four shortcakes. Bake in your preheated oven for 12 minutes or until starting to brown and a finger pressed into the top doesn’t leave an indention.

Remove from oven and cool.

Open the can of chilled coconut milk, and scoop off the cream on the top. Whisk briefly in a bowl.

Summertime Paleo Strawberry Shortcakes Ready to Assemble

To assemble the dessert: Cut one shortcake in half. Put one half on a plate. Top with some strawberry mixture. Add the other half of the shortcake, more strawberries and top it with whipped coconut cream.

A perfect Summertime dessert!

Summertime Paleo Strawberry Shortcake

Farm Market Organic Garlic Scapes

Eat Your Nutrients!

18 Paleo Summer Cookout Recipes!

Summer is cookout season! Just mentioning the word cookout is a sure way to get company flocking to your door! Set up an outdoor game or two like Bocce Ball and Badminton, and you have a party!

Here are Eighteen Summer favorites of mine! Please feel free to share any of your favorite healthy Summer recipes in the comments below! What will you be making this Summer?

Bacon Wrapped Grilled Pork Chops with Citrus Drizzle by the Civilized Caveman

Prosciutto Olive and Sundried Tomato Turkey Burgers by Tammy Credicott

Grilled Vegetables and Shrimp Toss by Sam Eats Her Nutrients